Belgian Institute for the Equality of Women and Men

Full Name: Institute for the Equality of Women and Men

Date established: 2002
       
Mode of establishment: Law of 16 December 2002 creating the Institute for the equality of women and men
    
Status: Autonomous institution of public law
              
Mandate/objectives:
The mission of the Institute is to guarantee the equality of women and men and to fight against any form of discrimination and inequality based on gender and transgender in all aspects of life. This is achieved through the development and implementation of an adequate legal framework, appropriate structures, strategies, instruments and actions. The Institute is also responsible for the implementation of a gender mainstreaming strategy at federal level of government.
 
Grounds of Discrimination covered: sex/gender, transgender

Competences and responsibilities:

1.    Undertake, develop, support and co-ordinate studies and research in the field of gender and equality of women and men as well as to assess the impact in terms of gender of policies, programmes and measures;
2.    Address recommendations to public authorities with a view to improving the relevant laws and regulations;
3.    Address recommendations to public authorities as well as to individuals and private institutions on the basis of the results of the studies and research described under point 1;
4.    Organise the support offered to associations working in the field of equality between women and men, or projects aiming at achieving equality between women and men;
5.    Help, within the limits of its goals, any person requesting advice on the scope of his/her rights and obligations. This assistance enables beneficiaries to obtain information and advice on the possible ways to have his/her rights enforced;
6.    Take legal action in the case of disputes resulting from the application of criminal and other laws, specifically aimed at guaranteeing the equality of women and men;
7.    Draft and provide information, documents and archives that might be useful within the limits of the mission;
8.    Gather and publish (without any possibility of identifying the parties) statistics and jurisdictional decisions that might be useful to assess the laws and regulations relating to gender equality;
9.    Ask the competent authorities, when the Institute evokes facts that give reason to presume the existence of discriminatory treatment as provided by the laws and regulations relating to the equality of women and men, to gather information and to inform the latter of the result of the analysis of the facts in question;
10.   Set up a network with the various key players in the field of gender equality.

Main activities: see above

Publications: Publications of the Institute are numerous (more than 50), namely information booklets, research reports, activity reports or training manuals. They concern various topics: gender and employment, gender and decision-making, violence against women, gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting. They are available on the website in French and Dutch (and sometimes in English or German).
         
Promotion of Equality: Promotion of equality is not explicitely mentioned in the law. However, the Institute is trying to raise awareness of target groups (like citizens, public services, and his stakeholders) through specific campaigns, publications, trainings, participations in seminars, etc...Therefore, the Institute is actively involved in promoting equality between women and men.

Management:
Director and vice-director
Board of 14 members with decision power, 3 members with consultative power
          
Nomination of senior staff and board:
Minister of Equal Opportunities (Direction) or Council of Ministers (Board)

Number of staff: 39 people (37 FTE)
     
Budget: Nearly 500,000 € (for projects and activities as an equality body), not including staff, functioning costs and financial support for women’s organizations)

Accountability: Report every year to federal assembly via the Minister of Equal Opportunities

Address:
Institute for the equality of women and men
Rue Ernest Blerot 1 / Ernest Blerotstraat 1
1070 Brussels

Contact details:
Tel. : 02 233 42 65
Fax : 02/233 40 32
e-mail :
egalite.hommesfemmes@iefh.belgique.be
gelijkheid.manvrouw@igvm.belgie.be

Communication officer :
elodie.debrumetz@iefh.belgique.be,
00 32 2 2334265

Further information:
http://igvm-iefh.belgium.be/